Syllabus for
BA (Theatre Studies, Psychology/Honours/Honours with Research)
Academic Year  (2023)

The Department of Theatre Studies holds the vision of providing ‘Integrity through Aesthetic performance’. Its mission is to inspire and mentor the birth and sustained growth of artists who, through cultural ethos, will embody respect, humanity, and discipline. The Performing Arts are a universal language that goes beyond the physical and geographical boundaries of the world. They bring people closer to themselves and a glimpse into the lived experiences of others and the shared experiences of humanity. The primary aim of the programme is to introduce the students to the possibilities of the art form and help them to gain an integrated sense of it through the application of theory via practical means.

Programme Outcome/Programme Learning Goals/Programme Learning Outcome:

PO2: Critical Thinking: Use plays as a resource material about the time, space, weight and flow of people. Understanding the mentality of human archetypes using exercises specific to the theatre.

PO3: Effective Communication: Increase kinaesthetic discipline using accurate posture, delivery and stage presence. Making oneself truly humble, knowledgeable and easy to approach by prompting and accepting feedback from the audience.

PO4: Social Interaction: Aiming to create effective group leaders through a conservatoire method with an ensemble focus.

PO5: Effective Citizenship: Help students understand the fundamental processes underlying human behaviour, development and change from biological and psychosocial perspectives.

PO6: Ethics: Guiding them to create productions on their own making them understand the importance of accountability and responsibility. Respecting the academic integrity of the institution and course.

PO7: Environment and Sustainability: Engage with socio-cultural psychological contexts along with environmental needs and concerns.

PO8: Continue a dedicated path to the thespian disciplines without dousing the spark of curiosity.

Programme Specific Outcome:

PSO2: Develop a professional portfolio to apply for different kinds of specialisations under the the broad umbrella of theatre studies.

PSO3: Allow students to direct, stage manage, script-write, compose and act on their own in student-led productions.

PSO4: Apply aesthetics to practical skill sets using a mix of different schools and styles of theatre studies.

PSO5: Present research at a conference in the field of Performing Arts.

PSO6: Network with industry professionals to experience and engage in relevant theatrical career paths.

PSO7: Devise performance and rehearsal exercises directed towards developing character behaviour, psychology and mannerisms.

Programme Educational Objective:

PEO2: Emotional Self-Regulation: Demonstrate empathy by listening with respect for others.

PEO3: Communication Skills: Demonstrate creative thinking using verbal and non-verbal skills.

PEO4: Co-Creation: Demonstrate consultative decision-making using analytical thinking and assertiveness.

PEO5: Entrepreneurship: Demonstrate leadership and team-building skills through facilitation.

PEO6: Research Skills: Demonstrate a global perspective using critical thinking and knowledge application.

PEO7: Cultural Competency: Demonstrate respecting diversity with cross-cultural understanding and humility.

In the Department of Theatre Studies, examinations and assessments are designed to evaluate students' proficiency in both practical skills and theoretical knowledge. These assessments serve as a comprehensive measure of students' understanding, application, and mastery of the subject matter.

Practical Skills Assessments:

Practical skills assessments focus on evaluating students' ability to apply their knowledge in a practical setting. This may involve various aspects of theatre performance, such as acting, directing, stage design, or technical production. Students are typically evaluated through performances, rehearsals, presentations, or practical demonstrations of their skills. These assessments provide opportunities for students to showcase their creativity, technical proficiency, and stagecraft abilities.

Theory Knowledge Examinations:

Theory knowledge examinations are aimed at assessing students' understanding and comprehension of the theoretical aspects of theatre studies. These assessments cover a wide range of topics, including theatre history, dramatic literature, dramatic theory, critical analysis, and theatrical concepts. Students are tested through written exams, essays, research papers, or other written assignments that assess their ability to analyze, interpret, and articulate their knowledge of theatrical concepts and ideas.

Forensic science is the application of scientific principles and techniques to the investigation of crimes and legal issues. This course covers the fundamental principles of forensic science, including various scientific analysis techniques used in criminal investigations, legal and ethical issues, and types of evidence collected at crime scenes.

Introduction to forensic science; Historical development of forensic science; Branches and applications of forensic science; Legal and ethical issues in forensic science

Types of physical evidence; Collection and preservation of physical evidence; Analysis of physical evidence; Interpretation and evaluation of physical evidence

Types of biological evidence; DNA analysis; Serology analysis; Analyzing and interpreting biological evidence

 Digital forensic investigations; Evidence collection in digital forensics; Analyzing and interpreting digital evidence; Legal and ethical considerations in digital forensics

1. Saferstein, R. (2019). Forensic science: From the crime scene to the crime lab. Pearson Education.

2. Criminal Justice & Forensics. (2017). Cengage.

3. Fisher, B. A. (2019). Techniques of crime scene investigation. Taylor & Francis Group.

4. Richard Saferstein, R. (2018). Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science. Pearson Education.

5. Houck, M. M., & Siegel, J. A. (2010). Fundamentals of forensic science. Academic Press.

6. Casey, E. (2018). Digital evidence and computer crime: Forensic science, computers, and the internet. Academic Press.

7. Nelson, B., Phillips, A., & Steuart, C. (2016). Guide to computer forensics and investigations. Cengage

1. Lee, H. C. (2016). Forensic science : an illustrated dictionary. CRC Press.

2. Barry, J., & Cooper, J. (2018). Introduction to forensic science. Routledge.

3. Houck, M. (2018). Trace evidence analysis: More cases in mute witnesses. Academic Press. 

4. Brown, T. W. (2018). Handbook of Forensic Pathology, Second Edition. CRC Press.

5. Barbara, J. (2011). Forensic anthropology: An introduction. CRC Press.

6. Hall, M. (2017). Current practice in forensic medicine. John Wiley & Sons.

7. Sammons, J., & Jenks, M. (2017). Digital forensics trial graphics: Teaching the jury through effective use of visual aids. Academic Press.

Midterm Examination- 30%

Review paper/Research Paper- 20%

Seminar presentation – 10%

Final Examination - 30%

Graphic Designing will enable students to develop advertisements, logos and other digital entities for creating brand equity for assortment of products, services and organizations.

Course Objectives​

 This course will help the learner to

• Provide an overview of the Graphic designing.

• To familiarize the methods and techniques of Graphic designing.

• To enhance the skill set of the students in designing digital entities for businesses.

• To imbibe the concepts of graphics designing to strengthen the campaigns of digital marketing.

Photoshop Basics: History of Photoshop - About Photoshop, Photoshop Features - Opening and Importing images, Creating Documents with different sizes - Digital Marketing – Digital Branding.

Importance of Designs, Logos, Mascots and other Digital Entities in Marketing & Branding - Basic Concepts of Designing, Design principles, Basics of design elements, Typography, Colour theory.

Introduction to Graphics, Introduction to Photoshop, Bitmap and Vector Images, Understanding Image Size and Resolution

Assignment: 15

Attendance: 10

Course Description

Data visualization package for the statistical programming language R. It starts with simple datasets and then graduates to case studies about world health, economics, and infectious disease trends in the United States. This course starts with fundamental computational concepts underlying most programming languages and also the solution of small problems using a programming language.

Course Objectives​

1. To teach students about data visualization principles

2. To learn how to communicate data-driven findings 

3. To teach how to use ggplot2 to create custom plots

Introduction to Tableau: What is TABLEAU? Why Data Visualization - Unique Features compared to Traditional BI Tools - TABLEAU Overview & Architecture - File Types & Extensions - Start Page,  Show Me, Connecting to Excel Files, Connecting to Text Files, Connect to Microsoft SQL Server, Connecting to Microsoft Analysis Services, Creating and Removing Hierarchies - Bins, Joining Tables, Data Blending.

Parameters - Set - Combined Sets - Creating a First Report - Data Labels - Create Folders - Sorting Data - Add Totals, Subtotals and Grand Totals to Report. Types of charts.

Calculated Fields - Basic Approach to Calculate Rank, Advanced Approach to Calculate Rank , Calculating Running Total  - Filters Introduction - Quick Filters - Filters on Dimensions - Conditional Filters - Top and Bottom Filters - Filters on Measures - Context Filters  - Slicing Filters - Data Source Filters  - Extract Filters 

Assignment: 15

Attendance: 10

Course description:

This course has been conceptualized in order to Understanding and exploring theory and practice as two sides of the same coin for academic 

excellence in Performing Arts. Benchmarking quality, understanding and exploring adaptability to situations and taking leadership tasks.

Maintaining emotional and aesthetics sensitivity in verbal and non-verbal communication

- Bellia , V. (2020). A body among other bodies. Relational Expressive Dance Movement Therapy. Catania A&G

- Hackney, P. (1998). Making connections. Total body integration through Barrtenieff Fundamentals. Routledge, New York.

- Laban R. (1950). The mastery of movement on the stage. McDonald & Evans, London

- Laban R., Lawrence F.C. (1947). Effort. McDonald & Evans, London

- Schilder P., (1935) The image and appearance of the human body. Taylor & Francis

- Bellia , V. (2020). A body among other bodies. Relational Expressive Dance Movement Therapy. Catania A&G

- Hackney, P. (1998). Making connections. Total body integration through Barrtenieff Fundamentals. Routledge, New 

- Schilder P., (1935) The image and appearance of the human body. Taylor & Francis

The ‘English Phonetics and Communication’ course focuses on the vital knowledge and skill area of the pronunciation of English sounds and speech for the students of Theatre and Music. It also focuses on platform speeches to support the platform roles integral to the program involving theatre. Topics of universal concern, appeal, and relevance have been included to sustain the interests of all students. The selection of topics also progresses in complexity with each semester, enabling the students to gradually move into more severe and sustained reading patterns and become increasingly wise and conscious of themselves and the world they see around them. In a nutshell, we aim to bring out a text that will empower the holistic development of every student. 

Mother Tongue influence in India

British and American Language and Power

 English and Social Mobility in India

Public Speeches

Type of Speeches

Talks and Presentations

Seminar/Conference Presentation

Group Discussion

Syllable

 Morphemes

 Assimilation and Elision

 Word Accent

 Intonation

 Tag

Mother Tongue influence in India

British and American Language and Power

English and Social Mobility in India

LAVER, J. (1994). Principles of Phonetics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Reppen, R. (2010). Using corpora in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Course Description

 Rock Music is a sound and dissonance rich discourse with its own socio-cultural practices and aesthetics. This course is an academic introduction to this space and its role in the identity formation of a generation, of a people and a Nation in motion.

Course Objectives

• To engage with popular music as aural texts 
• To study the popular music practitioner as an activist and artist
• To appreciate the significance of  social critique and a counter cultural aesthetic

Tin Pan Alley and song pluggers, World War II

Sheet Music

Swing and ragtime

Vaudeville

Frank Sinatra: My Way. Strangers in The Night, New York, New York

Nashville, Music Row, Elvis Presley

 Bill Haley 

Chuck Berry

  Buddy Holly   

The Beatles and Beatlemania

Establishing an aesthetic of Mod

  TV and bands 

The Rolling Stones  

Bands as Artists                                                                                                                 

Beatles / Sgt Pepper’s  

Pink Floyd /The Wall

The Who / Tommy

Counter Culture: Vietnam, Draft, Gender, the Mystic East, Woodstock, Ban the Bomb   

Woody Guthrie

Bob Dylan

Joan Baez

Janis Joplin

Simon and Garfunkel

Jimi Hendrix

Pearl Jam

Riot bands

Jon CovachUniversity of Rochester

and the Eastman School of Music

Andrew Flory

Carleton College

W. W. NORTON AND COMPANY

NEW YORK • LONDON

fifth Edition

Camilleri, Lelio. “Shaping Sounds, Shaping Spaces”.  Popular Music, Vol. 29, No. 2 (May 2010): 199-211. JSTOR.  Cambridge University Press. Web. 16August, 2016. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/40926918>

Chrysalis, Thanos. “Spatio-Aural Terrains”. Leonardo Music Journal, Vol. 16, Noises Off: Sound Beyond Music (2006):40-42. JSTOR. The MIT Press. Web. 29 April, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4540592

Denisoff R.S. The Sounds of Social Change: Studies in Popular USA Culture. 1972. Rand Mcnally& Co.

Denisoff, R. S.  Great Day Coming.  1991. Ann Arbor, MI: U-M-I Out-of-Print Books on Demand.

Denisoff, R. S. "Sing a Song of Social Significance": Political Consciousness and the Song of Persuasion.  1972.  Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press.

Denisoff, R. S. Solid Gold Popular Record Industry.  1975. New Brunswick, New Jersey Transactions Inc

Ewen, D. Great Men of American Popular Song: The History of the American Popular Song told through the Lives, Careers, Achievements, and Personalities of its Foremost Composers and Lyricists--from William Billings of the Revolutionary War through Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Burt Bacharach.  1972. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Forcucci, S. L. A Folk Song History of America: America through its Songs.  1984. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall

Fox, Aaron A.. “The Jukebox of History: Narratives of Loss and Desire in the Discourse of Country Music”. Popular Music, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan,1992): 53-72. JSTOR, Cambridge University Press. Web. 18March, 2011. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/853227 >

Ganchrow, Raviv. “Perspectives on Sound-Space: The Story of Acoustic Defense”. Leonardo Music Journal, Vol. 19, Our Crowd—Four Composers Pick Composers (2009): 71-75. JSTOR. The MIT Press. Web. 29April, 2015. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/40926354>

Hamm, C.  Music in the New World. 1983. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Hampton, W. Guerrilla Minstrels.  1986. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press.

Kingman, D.  American Music: A Panorama. 1979. New York: Schirmer books.

Klonsky, M. “Down in The Village: A Discourse on Hip”. New American Review, 13. 1971. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Kostelanetz, Richard. “Text-Sound Art: A Survey (Concluded)”. Performing Arts Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Winter, 1978): 71-84. JSTOR. Performing Arts Journal, Inc. Web. 16 August,2016. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3245364 >

Kramer, Lawrence. “Music, Metaphor and Metaphysics”.  The Musical Times, Vol. 145, No. 1888 (Autumn, 2004): 5-18. JSTOR.  Musical Times Publications Ltd. Web. 26 March,2011. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/4149109>

Kun, Josh D. “The Aural Border”. Theatre Journal, Vol. 52, No. 1, Latino Performance (March. 2000): 1-21. The John Hopkins University Press. Web. 18March, 2011. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/25068738 >

Poulin, A. The American Folk Scene: Dimensions of the Folksong Revival.  1967. New York: Dell Pub. Co.

Qureshi, Regula Burckhardt. “Music Anthropologies and Music Histories: A Preface and an Agenda”. Journal of the American Musicology Society, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Autumn 1995): 331-342. JSTOR. University of California Press. Web. 18March, 2011. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/3519830 >

Račić, Ladislav. “On the Aesthetics of Rock Music”. International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Dec.1981): 199-202. JSTOR. Croatian Musicological Society. Web. 1Dec., 2017. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/836562>

Ricks, C.  The Force of Poetry. 1995. Oxford University Press.

Rodnitzky, J. L.  Minstrels of the Dawn: The Folk-Protest Singer as a Cultural Hero. 1976. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.

Tagg, Philip. “Analyzing popular music: theory, method and practice.” Popular Music 1 (1979): 68-70. Web.

Choose a song that has been an effective anthem for a cause or genre and analyse it in about 500-750 words.  

CIA II: (Mid Sem 50 marks) Choose a pivotal figure from Rock history and trace their career and impact on society. Consider image and sound in the construction of this image.

CIA III:(20marks) The class in groups of 5-6 will anthologise a series of songs, artists and their work.

Archiving:

End Semester:

 Identify a Bangalore based band or genre of popular music with approval of your course instructor . Conduct a study of their work and evolution and impact on the city and vice versa. Use data beyond library sources and provide due evidence. Your archive entry must include a 750-1000word reflective essay that validates your choice of artist, understanding of the form and significance of the work. You must also identify, interview and record these interactions. Provide clips from concerts duly cited. Include memorabilia like tickets, album art, newspaper or magazine clips  

Moving from land to ocean marks a shift in our understanding with fluidity as the focal point. ‘Blue Humanities’ or ‘Blue Cultural Studies’ uses the ocean as the lens to foreground diverse historical, social, cultural, economic and political aspects. The expansive field of Blue Humanities adopts a multidisciplinary approach, weaving together insights from environmental studies, oceanography, marine studies, cultural studies, film studies, history, etc. The course specifically focuses on revisiting the cliched conceptualization of the ocean as vast, alien, terra nullis and ahistorical. The ‘Oceanic Turn’ transitions from the surface to the depths below to explore the three-dimensional ocean through socio-cultural representations. Reading the ocean and the sea through cinema from across the world will help understand how the ocean is portrayed in myriad ways ‘foregrounding and problematizing issues connected to gender, race, pollution, social justice, maritime activities, privatization, globalization, capitalism ontologies’ to revisit our established thought regimes. 

The unit will provide an alternative reading of our established understanding of ‘Origins’ with reference to the ocean – formation of the earth, the oceans, plants and animals and human beings. Destabilizing the pre-set reading of the formation of the world and prioritizing the land over the sea, the unit will help refocus the establishment of life in the Universe.

·       Excerpts from Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us

·       Steve Mentz, “Two Origins: Alien or Core?”

·       Philip E. Steinberg and Kimberley Peters, “Wet Ontologies, Fluid Spaces: Giving Depth to Volume Through Oceanic Thinking”

The unit will throw light on the field of Ecocriticism with specific focus on Blue Humanities and its emerging engagement with the oceans around the world. The unit will help position the study of the oceans in the field of Humanities with specific reference to Cultural studies to frame the Blue Cultural Studies.

·       Excerpts from Sidney I. Dobrin, “Unearthing Ecocriticism”

·       John R.  Gillis – “The Blue Humanities”https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2013/mayjune/feature/the-blue-humanities

·       Helen M Rozwadowski, Oceans in three Paradoxes: Knowing the Blue through Humanities – Virtual Exhibition https://www.environmentandsociety.org/exhibitions/oceans-three-paradoxes

The unit will probe into pivotal aspects surrounding the construction of the ocean space through filmic representations of the ocean. The intent is to analyze through a range of issues informing the oceanic representations in films to unearth the pluri-focussed politics, both explicit and otherwise, manoeuvring through them - Maritime histories and activities, Aquatic world, Disasters, Conquests, Wars, Exploration, Adventure, Folk Tales and Myths, Colonialism and Postcolonialism, Gender, Race, Capitalism, International Relations, Globalization, Ecology and Medical Humanities.

·       James L. Smith and Steve Mentz - Learning an Inclusive Blue Humanities: Oceania and Academia through the Lens of Cinema

·       Stefan Helmreich, “Massive movie waves and the Anthropic Ocean”

·       Dilip M Menon, “Sea-Ing Malayalam Cinema”

·       Rie Karatsu, “The Representation of the Sea and the Feminine in Takeshi Kitano's A Scene at the Sea (1991) and Sonatine (1993)” (SLA)

Dobrin, Sidney I. Blue Ecocriticism and the Oceanic Imperative. Routledge, 2021.

Mentz, Steve. An Introduction to Blue Humanities. Routledge, 2023.

·       Chen, Cecilia, Janine MacLeod, and Astrida Neimanis, editors. Thinking with Water. McGill-Queens Univ. Press, 2013. 

·       DeLoughrey, Elizabeth. “Toward a Critical Ocean Studies for the Anthropocene.” English Language Notes, vol. 57, no. 1, Apr. 2019, pp. 21–36.

·       Di Leo, Jeffrey R., editor. “Blue Humanities,” Symploke, vol. 27 no. 1, 2019, pp. 7-10. · 

·       Gillis, John R. “The Blue Humanities.” HUMANITIES, vol. 34, no. 3, May/June 2013.

·       Jue, Melody. Wild Blue Media: Thinking through Seawater. Duke Univ. Press, 2020.

·       Mentz, Steve. “Toward a Blue Cultural Studies: The Sea, Maritime Culture, and Early Modern English Literature.” Literature Compass, vol. 6, no. 5, Sept. 2009, pp. 997–1013. 

·       Mentz, Steve. Ocean. Bloomsbury Academic, 2020.

·       Mentz, Steve. Shipwreck Modernity: Ecologies of Globalization, 1550-1719. Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2016.

·       Raban, Jonathan, editor. The Oxford Book of the Sea. Oxford Univ. Press, 1993.

·       Roorda, Eric. The Ocean Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke Univ. Press, 2020. 

·       Steinberg, Philip E. The Social Construction of the Ocean. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2001.

 End semester evaluation will be based on students setting up an online archive. They shall create an online archive selecting topics and presenting them by blending texts, theory and research. The submission will also have a viva component.  

This course attempts to map out the connection between history and cinema. It aims to look at how cinema can be treated as a visual text and a source for understanding history. 

a)   History as a narrative – History and Truth Contested Notions –Ideology, Sources and Historian

b)   Multiple Identities and Histories – History as a point of reference – Issues of Legitimacy & Justification.

a)     Cinema as a narrative – Words and Images – Genre- Representation Vs. Reality – Propaganda – selling History. 

b)    Language of Cinema- Color – Angles – Movement

a)     Cinema as a narrative – Words and Images – Genre- Representation Vs. Reality – Propaganda – selling History. 

b)    Language of Cinema- Color – Angles – Movement

a)     Between History and Cinema:  The problem of linear narratives and flash back – questions of authenticity – definition of authenticity.

b)    Cinema as a political, social and historical text.

Chapman, J., Glancy, M., & Harper, S. (Eds.). (2007). The new film history: sources, methods, approaches. Springer.

Ferro, M. (1988). Cinema and history. Wayne State University Press.

Chapman, J. (2005). Past and present: national identity and the British historical. London: IB Tauris.

Miskell, P. (2004). Historians and film. In Making History (pp. 253-264). Routledge.

Nowell-Smith, G. (Ed.). (1996). The Oxford history of world cinema. OUP Oxford.

Raghavendra, M. K. (2014). Seduced by the Familiar: Narration and Meaning in Indian Popular Cinema. Oxford University Press.

Miskell, P. (2005). Seduced by the silver screen: Film addicts, critics and cinema regulation in Britain in the 1930s and 1940s. Business History, 47(3), 433-448.

Sedgwick, J., Miskell, P., & Nicoli, M. (2019). The market for films in postwar Italy: Evidence for both national and regional patterns of taste. Enterprise & Society, 20(1), 199-228.

Raghavendra, M. K. (2011). Bipolar identity: Region, nation, and the Kannada language film. Oxford University Press.

Raghavendra, M. K. (2014). The Politics of Hindi Cinema in the New Millennium: Bollywood and the Anglophone Indian Nation.

Sanyal, D. (2021). MK Raghavendra, “Locating World Cinema: Interpretations of Film as Culture” (Bloomsbury Academic India, 2020).

CIA 2:  Mid Semester Examinations 25 Marks

CIA 3:  10 Marks

End semester examination: 50 Marks

Attendance: 5 Marks

The course attempts to understand the nature, process and issues related to celebrity actors and their presence, which inadvertently contribute to the success of films.

PR concept, role and relevance in selling goods/services; Brief history & evolution of PR. Competing forces for PR-Advertising, Publicity, Marketing/Sales. PR as distinct from spin, hype & exaggeration. Top Bollywood PR firms in India-Dale Bhagwagar PR, Raindrops, Spice PR, Aspire PR.

Bollywood and the need and emergence ofCelebrity PR, early beginnings, and present status. Acquiring and sustaining celebrity status through PR, Celebrity brand building & nurturing. PR in celebrity reputation management. Building the celebrity profile through analysis and research. Case Study-The making of Shilpa Shetty (UK's Big Brother Reality TV), Amitabh Bachchan and KBC, Aamir Khan and Satyameva Jayate

Interviews, Press conferences,Rejoinders,Official comments/no comments. Organising events-Public 'meet and greet', Social events of significance, Public gatherings-award functions, airport meets.  Helping to manage crisis--damaging details from celebrity past, social media criticism and backlash, dealing with success and failure with grace and dignity, Helping deal with paparazzi encounter

This course will provide students the opportunity to apply a variety of interdisciplinary approaches on popular young adult narratives. Students will be exposed to the real -world culture and physical environment that produced, shaped, and continues to inform the Harry Potter series, giving students greater insight into the importance of textual awareness and analysis.

History of wizards in cinema – P L Travers, Disney era, rise of Nanny McPhee, Arrival of Harry potter in bookstores, narrative development of book 1 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Deconstruction of characters, significance of four houses, potions, beasts and spells.

Hogwarts a world class school – dynamics of homework, relationship, bullying, teachers, team spirits and opponents, wizards and other, Debates on Morality, Technology and Media in Potter world, Privacy concerns with magical objects, Cultural Hegemony, Case Study on Snape and Dumbledore

Sociological perspective – idea of home, community, clan and society, class struggle and dynamics, Aurora and Azkaban, Representation of Gender, Idea of family and institution, construction of power structures

Screening of First and Last Harry Potter films

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling (ISBN 978-0439064873)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling (ISBN 978-0439136365)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling (ISBN 978-0439139601)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling (ISBN 978-0439358071)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J. K. Rowling (ISBN 978-0439785969)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling (ISBN 978-0545139700)

Whited, L A & Grimes, K. (2015). Critical Insights: The Harry Potter Series. Salem Books.

Bell, C E (2018). Inside the World of Harry Potter: Critical Essays on the Books and Films.McFarland Publishers.

CIA -1 – Class Test– 20 marks

CIA 2 –  – 50 marks

CIA 3 – Group Assignment – 20 marks

End Semester - Project – 50 marks

The Social Media course is designed as an engaging and comprehensive undergraduate elective that explores the dynamic and influential world of social media. In this course, students will gain a critical understanding of the social media , their impact on society, and their role in shaping communication and democracy.

Definition and characteristics of social media

Evolution and historical context of social media for democracy

Key technological features and functionalities.

Cultural implications of social media use

Social media's impact on political mobilization and activism

Utilizing social media for positive social change and advocacy

Agency and social media

Personal data and issues

 Identity and Social media

This multidisciplinary course on Basic Electronics and Gadgets is aimed at giving a feel of electronics to non science/core students. It helps them in knowing the fundamentals of various electronic gadgets they use in daily life and related technologies. The course covers  categories of consumer electronic systems, electronic audio systems, basic colour television and video systems, communication systems covering telephone , mobile phone fundamentals and basics of computerhardware. This programme also tries to create awareness about e-waste and its effective management.

Electronics and its applications. Electronic components: Resistors, Capacitors, inductors- types, uses. Conductors, insulators, semiconductors- definitions. Semiconductor materials- Silicon, Germanium, semiconductor devices: Diode- working and application of diode as rectifier, Transistor- working, transistor as an amplifier, electronic switch. Electronic DC power supply- basic block diagram. Basics of measuring instruments- DMM and CRO. Hands on with tinkercad tool.

Basic principle of electronic communication-. Basic operation of transmitter and receivers. AM and FM radio receivers- qualitative description. Frequency allotment. Basics of Microphone, Loud speakers Principle of TV transmission and reception, Colour TV principle,. Digital TV principle- set top converter box, Optical fiber cables- principle of operation, advantages. Fundamentals of cellular mobile phone- Cells, coverage area, roaming, operation (qualitative description). Latest trends in mobile phones, smart phones, generations.

Fundamentals of Digital computer, microprocessors, motherboards, power supply - SMPS,  mouse, keyboard, memory devices, Modems, monitors, printers, latest trends in computers, specifications. Internet fundamentals

Electronic waste- brief description, qualitative discussion of hazards of e-waste, the materials responsible, management of e-waste, Indian and global current scenario of e-waste and its management.

[2]. B R Gupta (2008) Consumer Electronics, 4th Edition, Kataria &sons, New Delhi.

[4]. https://www.tinkercad.com 

Internal assesment : 50 marks

Written exam : 50 marks

This first-semester course introduces undergraduate psychology majors to the scientific study of human nature. The student would be able to understand how psychologists ask questions from several different perspectives. Students will learn about the various scientific methods psychologists use to study behaviour and become acquainted with many of psychology's important findings and theoretical approaches. Further, students will be able to appreciate the shape that contemporary psychology has taken. The aim is to build a familiarity with psychology’s intellectual origins and to foster an awareness of its many false steps, dead-ends, and alternative pathways to appreciating the social, cultural, and psychological influences on theorising in psychology. The course will equip the student with knowledge and scope for careers in psychology and develop an understanding of the professional skills required for such a career. Students will have learned to think critically about psychological evidence through journal clubs and class discussions embedded in the course.

Definition, Goals, Principles of psychology. Psychology as a science: Objectivity versus subjectivity. mind-body connection; Why study behaviour; Thinking like a psychologist about psychological information; Myths and misconceptions about psychology

Roots of psychology: Schools and perspectives of psychology, including Structuralism, Functionalism, Psychodynamic, Biological, Behaviouristic, Gestalt, Cognitive, Humanistic, Cross-cultural and Evolutionary. Eastern philosophies broader perspectives– Confucius and Taoism, Indian - Buddhism, (special comparing Eastern and Western principles in major concepts like consciousness and meditation). Psychology in modern India (Indigenous nature) 

Why study psychology? what is the scope Describe the value of psychology and possible career paths for those who study psychology? Specific focus on opportunities after BA; Allied professionals -social work, public health Broad focus on professional skills (especially as a practitioner and researcher) essential to be a psychologist and discuss the temper required to pursue psychology as a career. What can students do at BA to pursue a career in psychology? Multicultural and ethical issues; professional responsibility- Personal and professional roles.

Methods – use of scientific methods in psychology; scientific temper. How to review literature- discuss current issues and trends- Mental health literacy, psychological literacy, Current trends in Psychology, and issues discussed in CO 1,2 or 3

Writing and communicating using APA standards -Critically reviewing academic texts (books, journal articles etc.). APA style of writing Basic APA formatting for articles, APA referencing style, Academic writing skills.  

Weiten, W. (2014). Psychology: Themes and Variations (Briefer Version, 9th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. 

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Ed.).https://doi.org/10. 1037/0000165-000

Dalal, A. K., & Misra, G. (2010). The core and context of Indian psychology. Psychology and developing societies, 22(1), 121-155.

Brennan, J.F. (2003). History and systems of psychology (6thEdn.).New Delhi: Pearson Education Inc.

Hergenhahn, B.R. & Henley, T. (2013). An Introduction to the History of Psychology. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Hockenbury, D. H. & Hockenbury, S. E. (2011). Discovering Psychology (5th edition). Worth Publishers 

 Showman, A., Cat, L. A., Cook, J., Holloway, N., & Wittman, T. (2013). Five essential skills for every undergraduate researcher. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 33(3), 16+. https://link.gale.com/a pps/doc/A324399343/ AONE?u=monash&sid =googleScholar&xid= a3697d9b

CIA 1 & 3 will be individual assignments

CIA2- will be a mid-semester exam- with case study-based questions

End Semester Pattern- 2 hrs- 50 Marks

Section A (Very Short Answer). 2 Marks X 5Qs= 10 Marks

Section B (Short answers). 5 Marks X 2Qs= 10 Marks

Section C (Essay questions). 10 Marks X 2Qs= 20 Marks

Section D (Case study). 10 Marks x 1Q= 10 Marks

Course Description: This course aims at enabling the student to study and understand the problems and issues relating to women in Indian society in the context of wider social forces. This course will sensitize students on the issues of subjugation of and oppression prevalent against women in Indian society and enhance their understanding of the various social problems that women face in the society.

Course objectives :

●        To introduce the students to social issues relating to women

●        To explore gender relations from an interdisciplinary perspective 

1. Conceptualization of a social problem                                         
2. Structural and functional perspective, cultural roots, and critical analysis of social issues under power, ideology, and hegemony.
3.  Understanding Gender and subjugation of gender.

1. Conceptualization of a social problem                                         
2. Structural and functional perspective, cultural roots, and critical analysis of social issues under power, ideology, and hegemony.
3.  Understanding Gender and subjugation of gender.

1. Poverty - Concept of poverty, its multidimensional manifestations, Feminization of Poverty.
2. Caste Inequality - Concept of caste, nature of inequality and position of women within it.

1. Poverty - Concept of poverty, its multidimensional manifestations, Feminization of Poverty.
2. Caste Inequality - Concept of caste, nature of inequality and position of women within it.

1. Violence against Women: Cultural setting, Dowry, acid attacks, physical and sexual abuse, Global Sex Market.
2. Missing Millions- Skewed sex ratio, son preference

1. Violence against Women: Cultural setting, Dowry, acid attacks, physical and sexual abuse, Global Sex Market.
2. Missing Millions- Skewed sex ratio, son preference

1. Women and Health : Reproductive health
2. Aging and women

1. Women and Health : Reproductive health
2. Aging and women

Beteille, A. (1990). Race, Caste and Gender. Man, 25(3), 489–504. https://doi.org/10.2307/2803715

John, Mary E. (2008). Women’s Studies in India: A Reader. New Delhi:Penguin Books.

Krishnaraj, M. (2007). Understanding Violence against Women. Economic and Political Weekly, 42(44), 90–91. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40276750

Kotiswaran, P. (2008). Born Unto Brothels: Toward a Legal Ethnography of Sex Work in an Indian Red-Light Area. Law & Social Inquiry, 33(3), 579–629. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20108776

KUMAR, A. K. S. (2013). The Neglect of Health, Women and Justice. Economic and Political Weekly, 48(23), 25–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23527205

Karkal, M. (1999). Ageing and Women in India. Economic and Political Weekly, 34(44), WS54–WS56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4408566

Merton, R and Nisbet. (1966). Contemporary Social Problems, New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.

CIA 1  10 marks (conducted out of 20 )- Class Presentations

CIA 2 10 marks (conducted out of 20 )- Article Review

CIA 3 25 marks (conducted out of 50 ) - Prferably an exam

Attendance 5 marks 

This course will begin with a session on the Sociology of Cinema and the tools and techniques necessary to analyze the films that will be used in this course as a vehicle to examine society sociologically. This course introduces the student to the discipline of Sociology through cinema from India and elsewhere. It aims to allow students to critically examine society through cinema and its representation.

Course objectives:

• To enable students to view cinema as a text for sociological analysis
•  To gain an introduction to the discipline of sociology through cinema

1. Sociology as a discipline
2. Sociological Imagination
3. Theoretical perspectives

1. Sociology as a discipline
2. Sociological Imagination
3. Theoretical perspectives

1. Community, Association and Institution  
2. Status and role
3. Power and authority

Films: Dor (2006), Prem Rog (1982), Roja (1992)

1. Community, Association and Institution  
2. Status and role
3. Power and authority

Films: Dor (2006), Prem Rog (1982), Roja (1992)

1. Culture
2. Socialization
3. Conformity and Deviance

Films: Taare Zameen Par (2007)

1. Culture
2. Socialization
3. Conformity and Deviance

Films: Taare Zameen Par (2007)

1. Sex and gender
2. Race and Ethnicity
3. Caste and Class 

 Films: Lajja (2001), India Untouched: Stories of a People Apart (2007)

1. Sex and gender
2. Race and Ethnicity
3. Caste and Class 

 Films: Lajja (2001), India Untouched: Stories of a People Apart (2007)

Dudrah, R K. (2006).  Bollywood: Sociology goes to the Movies. New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Prendergast, C. (1986 ). Cinema Sociology: Cultivating the Sociological Imagination through Popular Film. Teaching Sociology 14: 243-248.

·      This course aims at giving basic in the Theatre and its elements.

·      Orientation to the Theatre Ensemble.

Introduction to Playwriting, Acting, Directing, Setting, Costume, Makeup, Lighting &Sound

·      Introduction to Theatre spaces- Amphitheatre, Proscenium, Theatre in the round (Arena), Thrust stage, Found space, Environmental space.

·      Poster, Leaflet/Brochure development

·        Developing clarity, articulation, and voice modulation.

·        Voice projection

·        Creating voice for building a character

·        Resonances in singing

• Exercises to develop the flexibility and endurance of a body.

• Removing physical ‘blocks’.

• Body language as a part of ‘building’ a character.

• Creating an ensemble

This course introduces students to the principles and techniques of horticulture. Students will learn the basics of plant growth, propagation, and cultivation. The course will cover soil management, irrigation, pruning, pest control, and greenhouse production. Students will also explore sustainable horticultural practices and their applications in various horticultural settings.

• Principles and practices of horticulture
• Plant anatomy and physiology
• Plant propagation techniques: seed, cuttings, and grafting
• Introduction to sustainable horticulture practices

• Soil properties and nutrient management
• Soil fertility and composting
• Irrigation principles and techniques
• Greenhouse production and management

• Pruning techniques and tools
• Insect and disease management
• Integrated pest management (IPM)
• Biological control of pests

• Sustainable practices in horticulture
• Environmental stewardship in horticulture
• Marketing sustainable horticulture products
• Horticultural entrepreneurship

Midterm Examination- 30%

Review paper/Research Paper- 20%

Seminar presentation – 10%

Final Examination - 30%

The natural environment necessarily lends itself to multiple disciplinary inquiries. While science and economics provide data, systems of information, knowledge, and models of management about the earth and its resources, environmental ethics enables one to ask ‘How then, should we live?’ This course aims to provide a holistic and deeper understanding of the environment, its varied interpretations, and ways of relating to it. This course also seeks to cultivate moral and ethical thinking about the environment to develop the basics of sustainable living. 

 To sensitize the students and make them think critically about the environment, especially when technology and infrastructure projects rule over the environmental spaces.

Environmentalism – tracing the history of global environmental consciousness and movements – Varieties of environmentalism – English love of the country – Wilderness thinking in America – Chipko and Silent Valley movements in India

Environmental Economics – resource economics – ecological economics; How economists see the environment; Economics of renewable and exhaustible resources; Carbon trading; Economist’s perspective on Sustainability; Concepts of environmental values – Total economic value; Standard methods to value the environment; Reconsidering Economics; Bounded rationality and the environment

Gender and environment; Ecofeminism; androcentrism; Deep ecology – ecofeminism debate; Ecocriticism; Romantic ecology; Nature writings; Thinking like a mountain; The forgetting and remembering of the air 

Environmental Ethics; An autobiography of your relationship with the earth; Environmental justice; Discounting; Climate change debates; Environmental refugees; The inconvenient truth; Basics of sustainable living; Know your carbon footprints

2.     Bhattacharya, R.N. (2004). Environmental Economics. Oxford University Press

3.     Clark, T. (2011). Literature and the Environment. Cambridge University Press

4.     Garrard, G. (2011). Ecocriticism. Routledge

5.     Guha, R. (2000). Environmentalism. Oxford University Press

6.     Leopold, A. (1949).  A Sand County Almanac. Oxford: Oxford University Press

7.     Sankar, U. (ed.) (2000). Environmental Economics. Oxford University Press

8.     Stavins, R.N. (Ed.) (2012). Economics of the Environment. New York, London: W.W. Norton

9.     Carson, R. (1963). Silent Spring. London: Hamish Hamilton

10.  Martinez – Alier, J. (2002). The Environmentalism of the Poor: A Study of Ecological Conflicts and Valuation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar

11.  Plumwood, V. (1993).  Feminism and the Mastery of Nature. London: Routledge

12.  Warren, K.J. (ed), (1994).  Ecological Feminism. London: Routledge.

Sankar, U. (ed.) (2000). Environmental Economics. Oxford University Press

Guha, R. (2000). Environmentalism. Oxford University Press

CIA1B-15 MARKS

CIA2-20 MARKS

ATTENDANCE-5 MARKS

The ‘Writing Skills’ course introduces the students of Theatre and Music to the various forms of writings in a workplace.  Communication in a workplace depends on clear, effective written words. It emphasizes the importance of writing at work; helps the students to observe, to think, to plan, to organize and to communicate. 

a.   Writer

b.   Purpose

c.   Audience

d.   Tone

e.   Context 

1.  The different kinds of Essays

a. Planning

b. Drafting

c. Revising

1. The Purpose of Research

a.     Basic Skills of Researching

b.     Collecting Information from People

c.     Collecting Published Information

d.     Designing Pages

e.     Design for Readers

f.      Elements of Page Design

 Basic Design Guidelines

1. MLA style, APA style, Chicago Manual Style

1. Creating and Discussing Visual Aids
2. Using: Tables; Line graphs; Bar graphs; Pie charts; Flow charts
3. Using illustrations: Photographs; Drawings; Guidelines

1. Memorandums
2.  Informal Reports -

a.     IMRD Reports

b.      Progress Reports

c.     Formal Reports

d.     Recommendation Reports

e.     Feasibility Reports

f.       Oral Reports

3.  Proposals

CIA 2: 50

CIA 3: 20

ESE: 50

Assessment pattern:

Course Description:

Partition is a significant and recurring theme in the history of many nations. It represents not just a division of land but also a rupture in the lives of people, impacting their identities, cultures, and relationships. Through a diverse selection of literature, this course seeks to examine the complex, multifaceted, and often painful narratives that emerge from partition events around the world. It is an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of literary works that delve into the multifaceted and often traumatic experiences of partition in various countries. This course delves into the human, emotional, and societal consequences of dividing nations and communities, providing a comprehensive view of this historical phenomenon. The course will journey into different regions (with a focus on Indian Partition), exploring literary responses to partition, both in the form of creative works such as novels, short stories, and poetry, as well as critical essays that provide theoretical frameworks for understanding these narratives.

Course Objectives:

CO1: To develop a nuanced understanding of the historical, cultural, and human dimensions of partition through the study of literature from various affected countries.

CO2: To analyze and critically engage with the ways in which literature serves as a medium for reflecting the impact of partition on individuals and societies.

Introduction to Partition and connected themes - Identity and Belonging, Displacement and Migration, Violence and Trauma, Loss and Grief, Family and Relationships, Nationalism and Politics, Cultural and Social Changes, Memory and Remembrance, Reconciliation and Healing, Borders and Geopolitics, Nation-Building, Resistance and Resilience

“Toba Tek Singh” – Saadat Hasan Manto

“Cranes” – Hwang Sun-Won

“East-West Tale of a Sundered City” – Jill Smolove (non-fiction)

Earth – Deepa Mehta (movie)

“Dekh Tere Sansaar ki Haalat kya ho gayi Bhagwan”- Nastik ­– Pradeep (song)

The Migration Series – Jacob Lawrence (select paintings)

“Blind Smoke” – Arjan ‘Shad’ Mirchandani

“To Waris Shah” – Amrita Pritam

“Migrations” – Keki Daruwalla

“Neither an Elegey nor a Manifesto” – John Hewitt

“A Poem that Came Easily” - Yun Tongju

"Sri Lanka: The Last Phase in Eelam War IV" - SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda (Case-study)

Introduction to Remembering Partition: Violence, Nationalism, and History - Gyanendra Pandey

“Berlin Wall anniversary: Stories from the wall from those who remember” – BBC (video)

Anindya Raychaudhuri. Narrating South Asian Partition : Oral History, Literature, Cinema. New York, Ny, Oxford University Press, 2019.

Pandey, Gyanendra. "Remembering Partition: Violence, Nationalism, and History." Modern Asian Studies, vol. 31, no. 3, 1997, pp. 763-810.

Demick, Barbara. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. Spiegel & Grau, 2009.

Khan, Yasmin. The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. Yale University Press, 2007.

Laffan, Michael. "The Partition of Ireland: 1911-25." Irish Historical Studies, vol. 36, no. 141, 2008, pp. 36-54.

Nico Medina, What was the Berlin Wall. Penguin Books, 2019.

Puri, Kavita, editor. Partition Voices: Untold British Stories, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.

Rushdie, Salman. Midnight's Children. Random House, 1981.

Schneider, Peter. The Wall Jumper. University of Chicago Press, 1983.

Sen, Sanghita and Neeta Gupta, editors. Partition: Stories of Separation. HarperCollins India, 2017.

Sidhwa, Bapsi. Ice-Candy Man. Penguin Books, 1991.

Singh, Khushwant. Train to Pakistan. Penguin Books, 2008.

Taylor, Frederick. The Berlin Wall: A World Divided, 1961-1989. Harper, 2006.

Partition Museum - The Partition Museum

Un-Divided Identities: Unknown Stories of the Partition | Retihaas| ReReeti

BBC Radio 4 - Partition Voices

CIA I – 20 Marks

Creative Writing – Partition Memoir – Write a fictional memoir/journal entries/short story from the perspective of someone who has lived through any historical partition

CIA II (Mid Semester) – 20 Marks

1.     Partition and Popular Culture – Group presentation

These are suggested examples of CIAs. However, during the course of teaching, there could be other suggestions, and CIAs could be slightly modified based on class dynamics and caliber of students.

End Semester Project – 50 Marks

Partition-inspired/themed Visual Art or Multimedia Project: Choose a partition event or theme and create a visual art piece or multimedia project (video, photography exhibit, or digital storyboard) that conveys the impact of partition.

Course Description

This course will explore the diverse traditions of Indian epics through retellings in Indian literature and other art forms well into the twenty-first century. The primary interest will be understanding the social, cultural, and political stakes attached to individual retellings of each epic. We will also engage with the new adaptations of the epics like Indian television serials, film versions and invocations of the epic stories in contemporary art and culture. Students will gain exposure to the diversified social structures in India that these stories reproduce, as well as resistance to those structures.

Course Objectives

CO1     To demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the major Indian epics and their historical and cultural significance.

CO2     To critically analyse and compare multiple retellings of Indian epics in different literary forms, such as prose, poetry, drama, and visual media, highlighting variations in themes, interpretations, and artistic choices.

CO3     To place these epics within the broader cultural and historical context of India, considering how they have influenced and been influenced by various aspects of Indian society, including religion, philosophy, art, and politics.

CO4     To apply their knowledge by creating their creative adaptations of Indian epics. This includes writing, performance, or other forms of artistic expression that reflect an in-depth understanding of the source material.

CO5     To engage in critical discourse by participating in class discussions, presenting research findings, and writing essays demonstrating their ability to analyse, interpret, and critically evaluate retellings of Indian epics while considering their cultural and literary implications.

Rohit Sharma: “The Art of Rewriting Indian Epics” (National)

A.K. Ramanujan: “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on

          Translation” (Regional)

Pradip Bhattacharya: “The Mahabharata on Screen” (National) (Skill Development)

Satya Chaitanya: “Bheel Bharath: When the Mahabharata Incarnates Down Under” (National)

Sharayu Shejale: “The Ramayana and its Retellings: Deconstructing the Myth” (National)

Toru Dutt: “Lakshamana” (Poem) (National)

Sreekantan Nair: “Kanchana Sita” (Play) (Regional) (Skill Development)

M.T. Vasudevan Nair: “Bhima Lone Warrior” (Novel) (Regional)

Ramanand Sagar: “Ramayan” (1987 TV series) (National)

Ravi Chopra:“Mahabharat” (1988 TV series) (National)

Peter Stephen Paul Brook:“The Mahabharata” (Play) (Global) (Skill Development)

G.Aravindan: “Kanchana Sita” (Film) (Regional) (Skill Development)

Kottayam Thampuran: “Bakavadham” (The Slaying of Baka) (Kathakali) (Regional)

·       Ramanujan, A K. "Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation." The Collected Essays of A K Ramanujan. Ed. Vinay Dharwadker. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print, pp 131-60.

·       Pradip Bhattacharya. “The Mahabharata on Screen” Kalyan Kumar Chakravarthy (ed.), Text and Variations of the Mahabharata: Contextual, Regional and Performance Traditions,Delhi, National Museum for Manuscripts & Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts, 2009. Print, pp. 247-270.

·       Satya Chaitanya: “Bheel Bharath: When the Mahabharata Incarnates Down Under” Kalyan Kumar Chakravarthy (ed.), Text and Variations of the Mahabharata: Contextual, Regional and Performance Traditions, Delhi, National Museum for Manuscripts & Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts, 2009. Print, pp. 185-220.

·       Sharayu Shejale: “The Ramayana and its Retellings: Deconstructing the Myth” http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue45/shejale.html

·       Dutt, Toru. “Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan”. 1882. Open Knowledge Foundation Network, India, 2013, https://in.okfn.org/files/2013/07/Ancient-Ballads-and-Legends-of-Hindustan.pdf.

·       Nair, Sreekantan, &Joseph, Sara. (2005). “Retelling the Ramayana: Voices from Kerala: “Kanchana Sita” &’ Five Ramayana Stories”. OUP India.

·       Nair, M. T. “Bhima Lone Warrior.” Harper Collins, 2013.

·       Ravi Chopra: “Mahabharat” (1988 TV series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnXkv_ozPQw&list=PLa6CHPhFNfadNcnVZRXa6csHL5sFdkwmV

·       Ramanand Sagar: “Ramayan” (1987 TV series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIh99bkSc_w&list=PL-nbe4FPvDBElyW0Iww5suxJqqmuGBgIH&index=3

·       Peter Stephen Paul Brook: “The Mahabharata https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Peter+Stephen+Paul+Brook%3A+%E2%80%9CThe+Mahabharata

·       Kottayam Thampuran: “Bakavadham” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTR1nbhLPzE&t=11491s

·       G.Aravindan, Kanchanasita (film),  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2m9n0aKgn4

·       Karve, Irawati.Yuganta: The End of an Epoch. Mumbai: Orient Blackswan, 2008. Print.

·       Mukherjee, Meenakshi. “Epic and Novel in India.” The Novel: Volume 1 History, Geography and Culture. Ed. Franco Moretti. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2006. 596-631. Print.

·       Weimann, Robert. “History, Appropiation, and the Uses of Representation in Modern Narrative.” The Aims of Representation: Subject/Text/History. Ed. Murray Krieger. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1987. 175-215. Print.

·       Chandra, Rai Govind. 1996.Indian Symbolism. Symbols as Sources of our Customs and Beliefs. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal.

·       Cooper, J.C. 1978. An Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols. London: Thames and Hudson.

·       Dutt, Romesh Chander. 1961.The Ramayana and Mahabharata. London: J.M. Dent and Sons.

·       Ganguli, Kisari Mohan, trans. 2008. The Mahabharata. Delhi: MunshiramManoharlal

·       Kosambi, D D. 1983. Myth and Reality: Studies in the formation of Indian Culture. Bombay: Popular Prakashan. (1962)

·       Levi- Strauss, Claude. 1995. Myth and Meaning: Cracking the Code of Culture. Foreword by Wendy Doniger. New York: Schocken Books. (1979).

·       Segal, Robert. 2012.Myth: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: OUP. (2004).

·       Frye, Northrop. 1976.Spiritus Mundi: Essays on Literature, Myth and Society. Bloomington: Indiana UP.

·       Paula Richman, Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in India. Oxford University Press. 1997.

·       Satchidanandan, K. (2003). Myth in Contemporary Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

·       Abhichandani, Param, (2005) Encyclopedia of Indian Literature 6, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

·       Agrawal, K. A. (2000) Indian Writing In English, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers Ltd.

·       Ramanujan, A K. "Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation." The Collected Essays of A K Ramanujan. Ed. Vinay Dharwadker. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print, pp 131-60.

·       Pradip Bhattacharya. “The Mahabharata on Screen” Kalyan Kumar Chakravarthy (ed.), Text and Variations of the Mahabharata: Contextual, Regional and Performance Traditions,Delhi, National Museum for Manuscripts & Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts, 2009. Print, pp. 247-270.

·       Satya Chaitanya: “Bheel Bharath: When the Mahabharata Incarnates Down Under” Kalyan Kumar Chakravarthy (ed.), Text and Variations of the Mahabharata: Contextual, Regional and Performance Traditions, Delhi, National Museum for Manuscripts & Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts, 2009. Print, pp. 185-220.

·       Sharayu Shejale: “The Ramayana and its Retellings: Deconstructing the Myth” http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue45/shejale.html

·       Dutt, Toru. “Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan”. 1882. Open Knowledge Foundation Network, India, 2013, https://in.okfn.org/files/2013/07/Ancient-Ballads-and-Legends-of-Hindustan.pdf.

·       Nair, Sreekantan, &Joseph, Sara. (2005). “Retelling the Ramayana: Voices from Kerala: “Kanchana Sita” &’ Five Ramayana Stories”. OUP India.

·       Nair, M. T. “Bhima Lone Warrior.” Harper Collins, 2013.

·       Ravi Chopra: “Mahabharat” (1988 TV series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnXkv_ozPQw&list=PLa6CHPhFNfadNcnVZRXa6csHL5sFdkwmV

·       Ramanand Sagar: “Ramayan” (1987 TV series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIh99bkSc_w&list=PL-nbe4FPvDBElyW0Iww5suxJqqmuGBgIH&index=3

·       Peter Stephen Paul Brook: “The Mahabharata https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Peter+Stephen+Paul+Brook%3A+%E2%80%9CThe+Mahabharata

·       Kottayam Thampuran: “Bakavadham” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTR1nbhLPzE&t=11491s

·       G.Aravindan, Kanchanasita (film),  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2m9n0aKgn4

·       Karve, Irawati.Yuganta: The End of an Epoch. Mumbai: Orient Blackswan, 2008. Print.

·       Mukherjee, Meenakshi. “Epic and Novel in India.” The Novel: Volume 1 History, Geography and Culture. Ed. Franco Moretti. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2006. 596-631. Print.

·       Weimann, Robert. “History, Appropiation, and the Uses of Representation in Modern Narrative.” The Aims of Representation: Subject/Text/History. Ed. Murray Krieger. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1987. 175-215. Print.

·       Chandra, Rai Govind. 1996.Indian Symbolism. Symbols as Sources of our Customs and Beliefs. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal.

·       Cooper, J.C. 1978. An Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols. London: Thames and Hudson.

·       Dutt, Romesh Chander. 1961.The Ramayana and Mahabharata. London: J.M. Dent and Sons.

·       Ganguli, Kisari Mohan, trans. 2008. The Mahabharata. Delhi: MunshiramManoharlal

·       Kosambi, D D. 1983. Myth and Reality: Studies in the formation of Indian Culture. Bombay: Popular Prakashan. (1962)

·       Levi- Strauss, Claude. 1995. Myth and Meaning: Cracking the Code of Culture. Foreword by Wendy Doniger. New York: Schocken Books. (1979).

·       Segal, Robert. 2012.Myth: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: OUP. (2004).

·       Frye, Northrop. 1976.Spiritus Mundi: Essays on Literature, Myth and Society. Bloomington: Indiana UP.

·       Paula Richman, Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in India. Oxford University Press. 1997.

·       Satchidanandan, K. (2003). Myth in Contemporary Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

·       Abhichandani, Param, (2005) Encyclopedia of Indian Literature 6, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

·       Agrawal, K. A. (2000) Indian Writing In English, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers Ltd.

CIA II: The student is required to submit a draft, which will include literature review and the uniqueness of the study. (20 marks)

CIA III: Submission of the final essay (50 Marks)

The present decline in environmental quality calls for a stricter enforcement of laws relating to protection of environment. The objective of this course is to give an insight into various legislations that has been enacted in our country for protection of environment and also to create awareness among the citizens of the country about the duties cast on them under various legislations in relation to protection of environment.

Course Objectives:

• To impart an in-depth knowledge of environmental legislations to students from diverse backgrounds.
• To interpret, analyse and make a critique of the legislations and Case laws relating to environment
• To provide a brief understanding of various developments that has taken place at international level to check various environmental harms.

INTRODUCTION

INDIAN CONSTITUTION AND ENVIRONMENT

JUDICIAL REMEDIES AND PROCEDURES AVAILABLE FOR ABATEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT, 1986

ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT, 1986

WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 1974

FORESTS AND CONSERVATION LAWS

 WILD LIFE PROTECTION AND THE LAW

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS FOR PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

MCQ exam: 50 Marks

Description: Middle cinema is a specific film formation which refers to severe commercial films that capture the experiences of Indian society in transition and the attendant anguish of such change. It includes narrations about women, youth, the city and Muslims, to name a few. The idea is to watch and analyse the films that fall into the category of middle cinema to understand the issue presented and the way it is dealt with by the filmmaker. The purpose is not to pass judgements about the films or their intentions but to see how representations impact our perceptions of reality.

Course Objectives:

1. To watch and appreciate the films that fall under the category of middle cinema

2. To understand the varied depiction of our society in these films

3. To critically evaluate the purpose and impact of middle cinema

Cinema and its purpose and influence

French wave and Italian neo-realism

Indian cinema

Indian neo-realism

Pioneers- Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak

Maters of middle cinema- Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Girish Kasarvalli, Syed Akhtar Mirza and Sai Paranjape

Middle cinema or Parallel cinema movement in India

Film society movement

Government initiate- FCI, FTII, Film Division, Doordarshan

Before 1991 and after

Contemporary Indian parallel cinema

Independent film makers (Indi films)- Nagesh Kuknoor, Govind Nihalani, Dijo Jose Antony, Johnpaul George, etc.

Watching the following films:

1. Salim Langde pe mat roh

2. Alif

3. A death in Gunj

4. Samsara

5. Trikal

6. Hyderabad Blues

Discuss the film maker's method and technique of depicting Indian society- issues, groups and individuals

Whether they succeeded in their endevours

What is the future of middle cinema in India

Bhaskaran, Gautaman. (2017). Adoor Gopalakrishnan- A Life in Cinema. Penguin Random House, India.

Ray, Sandip. (2022). Satyajit Ray Miscellany- Life, Cinema, People & Much More. Penguin Random House, India.

1. History of Indian cinema- DAV University study material

2. Dwyer, Rachel. (2014). Bollywood's India: Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Contemporary India. Reaktion Books, India.

Assignment 2: Blog posts on Indian middle cinema- atleast 4 posts before 1 March 2024- 20 marks

Assignment 3: Research paper on any one film maker and his/her way of representing Indian society through middle cinema- 50 marks

As an art form, cinema possesses a language all its own—a language that transcends cultural boundaries and speaks to the universal human experience. From the evocative power of lighting to the rhythm of editing, every decision made by filmmakers contributes to the creation of meaning and emotion. Throughout this course, we will examine iconic films, analyze groundbreaking techniques, and decode the symbolism that enriches cinematic narratives.

Whether you are an aspiring filmmaker, a film enthusiast, or someone eager to gain a deeper understanding of the stories unfolding on the silver screen, "The Language of Cinema" is designed to equip you with the tools to appreciate and critically engage with the diverse and dynamic world of filmmaking.

Invention of camera, video camera, Narrative development and technological shifts;

Composition Techniques-Application of diverse compositions in narration

Camera experiments-Russian montage, Mainstream Hollywood practice, Mainstream Indian practice, Diverse and Melodramatic, Dogma 95; Movements, Appeal of reality visual construction in Indian parallel films.

Varying focal-length, focus, aspect ratio, Lens, 

Shooting styles: Found footage, Single shot films, Film’s speed, PoV vs Subjective, Documentary style (Cinema Verite), Aerial view, Virtual reality, camera for green screen.

Visual construction in Television, social media and web-series.

Framing, Framing techniques, Lighting technique, Camera script vs Shooting script, Front and backdrop for a visual,

Reconstruction of Male gaze, portrayal of vulnerable, weaker and stronger characteristics, Replacing talent, camera for graphics.

·         Film Lighting Talks with Hollywood's Cinematographers and Gaffers by Kris Malkiewicz, Touchstone

·        The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age, Steven Ascher, Edward Pincus, Plume.

Course Description:

The Department of Media Studies offers this course to introduce students from different disciplinary backgrounds to the world of signs, symbols, and icons. Besides, this course also aims to familiarise the students with the basic concepts and theories of visual culture. The visual in the forms of photographs, advertisements, and films shape our everyday experiences, so it becomes necessary to understand how these visuals could be deconstructed to identify literal, connotative, subjective, and metaphorical meanings. Further, this course will also explore the relationships among visual culture, digital media, and power. It will explore the analysis of specific visual texts and will reflect on understanding the larger cultural meanings assigned to the visual. The learning objectives are for students to develop the skills necessary to perform such critical analysis of visual texts and show an overall understanding of how the visual operates.

Course Outcomes/Objectives:

By the end of the course the learner will be able to:

·   Understand the critical and theoretical concepts relating to visual culture.

·  Demonstrate the process of meaning generation in visual media.

·  Interpret the levels of meanings in any given visual text.

·  Recognize the role of photographs, advertisements and films in contemporary visual culture.

·  Apply the theories of visual culture to interpret visual media messages and understand their relation to power.

Introduction to Visual Culture: Concept and Definition; Critical Representation of/in Visual Culture. Recent Trends in Visual Culture.

Branches of Semiotics; Dyadic Model of Signs; Meaning & types of Signs. Meaning-Making Process: Seeing.

Levels of meanings: Denotational meaning, and Connotation meaning.

Meaning of gaze; Relation of gaze and power; Theory of Panopticism; Types of cinematic gazes, viz. male gaze, and feminist gaze.

2.     Mirzoeff, N. (2012). The Visual Culture Reader (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.

3.     Seppaenen, J. (2006). The Power of the Gaze: An Introduction to Visual Literacy (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). NY: Peter Lang Publishing.

●      Documentary: Abstract: The Art of Design Platon: Photography

●      Documentary: Abstract: The Art of Design Tinker Hatfield: Footwear Design

●      Documentary: Abstract: The Art of Design Christoph Niemann: Illustration

The course shall not have a regular CIA- MSE -ESE model. Instead, the student will be given a series of assignments spread across the semester, leading to a building up of a holistic understanding of visual culture and how different signs, symbols, and icons operate in our day-to-day world in creating larger societal realities and worldviews. The teaching facilitator will consider the level of intelligibility in the class and the learning needs of the students and decide what assignment to give regularly. 

Sample Assignments:

●      Summarising the four episodes of ‘Ways of Seeing’ by John Berger, and critically reflecting on the aspect of how in our day-to-day life it is contextual and relevant.

●      Analyze an advertisement and present it to the class.

●      Analyze a photograph and present it to the class.

●      Analyze scenes of a film and present them in the class.

This course presents an introduction to basic concepts in astronomy and  astrophysics. The course is designed for non-science students with strong interest in astronomy,
physics and mathematics. The course details some of the primary physical concepts relevant to  astronomy and astrophysics and also lays the foundation for more advanced coursework in
astrophysics. More importantly, to appreciate the  realization that “We are all made of stardust”.

Astronomical coordinate systems, Kepler’s Laws of planetary motion, Newton’s Law of
gravitation, Ancient astronomers, Solar system formation, Planets and associated moons, Comets
and asteroids; Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites; Telescopes, Multi-wavelength astronomy,
Astronomy with space observatories.

Discussion of measurable physical quantities in astronomy, Distance measurement techniques,
Luminosity, Brightness of stars and relation between luminosity and brightness (flux),
Magnitude of a star, Filter system, Hertzsprung Russell diagram, Binary stars and measurements,
Spectral type of stars, Surface temperature of stars, Star Formation: Molecular clouds, Stellar
evolution- birth to death, White dwarfs, Neutron stars, and black holes.

The Milky Way galaxy, Structure of the Milky way, Motion of Stars in the Milky Way, Types of
galaxies: Hubble tuning fork diagram, Formation and evolution of galaxies, Quasars and active
galaxies, Hubble’s law and Expanding Universe, Gravitational waves, Dark Matter, Dark
Energy.

2. Harwit, M. (1988): Astronomy Concepts: Springer-Verlag.

• CIA I will be a objective-type exam to evaluate the understanding of the students from topics in Units 1 and 2. This carries 10 marks and administered in the last week of January.

• CIA-II will be based on presentations on specified topics. It carries 25 marks 

• CIA III includes a written assignment on specified topics. It carries 10 marks and will be conducted during second week of February.

• End Semester Examination will be the descriptive exam for 50 marks. The students will be given 120 minutes to complete the exam.

• Assessment will be based on the knowledge, problem solving capability and their wider in-depth perspective about the subject and presentation skills. 

This course has been conceptualized to introduce and discuss the moral foundations of democracy in principle, and democratic institutions, in particular. The students are initiated to various types of moral discourses in political philosophy. Further, this course looks at the development of democracy, in the global as well as the national realm. Democracy as an ideal gets fructified in the form of a government, which in turn is based on the principles of justice, freedom, equality, and fraternity. Ethics acts as the premise on which a successful democracy rests.

1. Democracy
1. Conceptual development of Democracy
2. Principles of Democracy: Freedom, Equality and Fraternity
2. Ethics
1. Concept of Values, Morals and Ethics
3. Democracy vis-a-vis Ethics
1. Government by Consent
2. Constitutional Government and Rule of Law
3. Democracy and Human Rights

1. Democracy
1. Conceptual development of Democracy
2. Principles of Democracy: Freedom, Equality and Fraternity
2. Ethics
1. Concept of Values, Morals and Ethics
3. Democracy vis-a-vis Ethics
1. Government by Consent
2. Constitutional Government and Rule of Law
3. Democracy and Human Rights

1. Western Thought
1. Duty Ethic
2. Utilitarianism
2. Indian Thought                                                                  

a.     Hindu Tradition: Dharma and Karma, Purusharthas

b.     Buddhist Tradition: Four Noble Truths and Eight-fold Path

c.     Indian syncretic traditions-Ashoka, Kabir and Akbar

1. Western Thought
1. Duty Ethic
2. Utilitarianism
2. Indian Thought                                                                  

a.     Hindu Tradition: Dharma and Karma, Purusharthas

b.     Buddhist Tradition: Four Noble Truths and Eight-fold Path

c.     Indian syncretic traditions-Ashoka, Kabir and Akbar

1. Institutional
1. Free and fair elections
2. Ethical Code of Conduct for Politicians
3. Character record of members of the legislature
4. Ethical use of majority in parliament
5. Avoidance of ‘floor crossing’ and defection
6. Alliance of political parties to form brittle governments
7. Independence of judiciary and media
8. Safeguard national history and avoid distortion
9. Political neutrality in educational institutions.
10. Judicious allocation of central funds to states
11. Freedom of Press
2. Citizen Centric
1. Free speech and Expression
2. Right to dissent
3. Preventive detention and Sedition 

1. Institutional
1. Free and fair elections
2. Ethical Code of Conduct for Politicians
3. Character record of members of the legislature
4. Ethical use of majority in parliament
5. Avoidance of ‘floor crossing’ and defection
6. Alliance of political parties to form brittle governments
7. Independence of judiciary and media
8. Safeguard national history and avoid distortion
9. Political neutrality in educational institutions.
10. Judicious allocation of central funds to states
11. Freedom of Press
2. Citizen Centric
1. Free speech and Expression
2. Right to dissent
3. Preventive detention and Sedition 

1. Locke, John, Second Treatise on Civil Government, (1690), ed. C. B. MacPherson, Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 1980.
2. Kant, Immanuel. Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals. trans. Lewis White Beck, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merril, 1959.
3. Kant, Immanuel, Critique of Practical Reason, trans. Lewis White Beck, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merril, 1956.
4. Machiavelli, The Prince [1513], ed. Q. Skinner, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1988.
5. Plato, The Republic, revised/trans. by Desmond Lee, Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books, 1974.
6. Rawls, John, Political Liberalism, New York: Columbia University Press, 1996

7. Sandel, Michael (ed.), Justice—A Reader, Oxford University Press, 2007.
8. Singer, Peter, Democracy and Disobedience, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1973.

CIA 2-25

CIA 3-50

This course introduces students to the trajectory of Indian politics and society after independence. Through exploration of certain key themes pertaining to the Indian state and society, it aims at equipping students with an ability to crucially examine political systems and processes, understand the institutional contexts, and analyse social cleavages and conflicts between communities in various parts of the country. Students will be exposed to biographies of important leaders and various perspectives on important social and political events. By the end of this course, they will develop a critical view to study and evaluate Indian society, democratic politics and the role of civil society.

Partition and Refugees, Princely States, Constituent Assembly and Indian Constitution, Inheritance of Democracy

Elections and universal adult franchise, Economic Planning, Land Reforms, Linguistic reorganisation of states

Party System, Political Parties, Mobilisation, Leadership, Panchayat Raj System

Caste and politics, communalism, tribal tragedies, Naxal violence, social movements

Study of Indian politics, trajectory of democracy, role of civil society

Guha, Ramachandra. India After Gandhi

Jayal, N., & Mehta, P (Eds). The Oxford Companion to Politics in India

Kohli, A., & Singh, P (Eds). Routledge Handbook of Indian Politics

Fiction (Students must read and review at least one of the following works):

Devi, M. Mother of 1084

Murugan, P. Rising Heat

Jospeh, S. Budhini

Roy, A. The God of Small Things

Singh, K. Train to Pakistan

Shukla, S. Raag Darbari

Jaffrelot, C. India’s Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in South India

Menon, N. Planning Democracy: Modern India’s Quest for Development

Nehru, J. The Discovery of India

Sen, R. House of the People: Parliament and the Making of Indian Democracy

Shani, O. How India Became Democratic: Citizenship and the making of the universal franchise

Sundar, N. The Burning Forest: India’s War in Bastar

CIA 2: 20 Marks

CIA 3: 50 Marks

The course helps students to understand and explore views on personality and individual differences. The course poses an opportunity for students to help understand the various theoretical approaches to the concepts of personality, intelligence and learning. The students will learn the strengths and weaknesses of major theories as well as how to assess and apply these theories. With the support of psychometric tools and lab-based activities, students would be able to identify the various tools to investigate personality and intelligence and be able to better understand themselves and others.